Q1: Explain in detail the sufferings of muslims under congress ‘ministries’ rule.

How did
muslims celebrate their resignation in 1939? Critically evaluate the outcomes of congress rule
in sub continent?

Ans. Election 1936-37:

The Government of India Act of 1935 was practically implemented in 1937. The
provincial elections were held in the winter of 1936-37. There were two major political parties
in the Sub-continent at that time, the Congress and the Muslim League. Both parties did their
best to persuade the masses before these elections and put before them their manifesto.
According to the results of the elections, Congress, as the oldest, richest and best-organized
political party, emerged as the single largest representative in the Legislative Assembles. Yet it
failed to secure even 40 percent of the total number of seats. Out of the 1,771 total seats in the
11 provinces, Congress was only able to win slightly more then 750.
Thus the results clearly disapproved Gandhi’s claim that his party represented 95
percent of the population of India. Its success, moreover, was mainly confined to the Hindu
constituencies. Out of the 491 Muslim seats, Congress could only capture 26. Muslim Leagues’
condition was also bad as it could only win 106 Muslim seats. The party only managed to win
two seats from the Muslim majority province of Punjab. Congress was in power in nine out of
eleven provinces. The Unionist Party of Sir Fazl-i-Hussain and Praja Krishak Party of Maulvi Fazl-
i-Haq were able to form governments in Punjab and Bengal respectively, without the
interference of Congress. Muslim League failed to form government in any province. Quaid-i-
Azam offered Congress to form a coalition government with the League but the Congress
rejected his offer. The Congress refused to set up its government until the British agreed to
their demand that the Governor would not use his powers in legislative affairs. Many
discussions took place between the Congress and the British Government and at last the British
Government consented, although it was only a verbal commitment and no amendment was
made in the Act of 1935. Eventually, after a four-month delay, Congress formed their ministries
in July 1937.

Rule of congress ministry:

The Congress proved to be a pure Hindu party and worked during its reign only for the
betterment of the Hindus. Twenty-seven months of the Congress rule were like a nightmare for
the Muslims of South Asia. Some of the Congress leaders even stated that they would take
revenge from the Muslims for the last 700 years of their slavery. Even before the formation of
government, the Congress started a Muslim Mass Contact Movement, with the aim to convince
Muslims that there were only two political parties in India, i.e. the British and the Congress. The
aim was to decrease the importance of the Muslim League for the Muslims. After taking charge
in July 1937, Congress declared Hindi as the national language and Deva Nagri as the official
script. The Congress flag was given the status of national flag, slaughtering of cows was
prohibited and it was made compulsory for the children to worship the picture of Gandhi at
school. Band-i-Mataram, an anti-Muslim song taken from Bankim Chandra Chatterji’s novel
Ananda Math, was made the national anthem of the country. Religious intolerance was the
order of the day. Muslims were not allowed to construct new mosques. Hindus would play
drums in front of mosques when Muslims were praying. The Congress ministries did their best
to weaken the economy of Muslims. They closed the doors of government offices for them,
which was one of the main sources of income for the Muslims in the region. They also harmed
Muslim trade and agriculture. When Hindu-Muslim riots broke out due to these biased policies
of the Congress ministries, the government pressured the judges; decisions were made in favor
of Hindus and Muslims were sent behind bars.

Day of deliverance:
The allegation that Congress was representing Hindus only was voiced also by eminent British
personalities. The Marquees of Lothian in April 1938 termed the Congress rule as a “rising tide
of Hindu rule”. Sir William Barton writing in the “National Review” in June 1939 also termed the
Congress rule as “the rising tide of political Hinduism”. At the outbreak of the World War II, the
Viceroy proclaimed India’s involvement without prior consultations with the main political
parties. When Congress demanded an immediate transfer of power in return for cooperation of
the war efforts, the British government refused. As a result Congress resigned from power.
Quaid-i-Azam asked the Muslims to celebrate December 22, 1939 as a day of deliverance and
thanksgiving in token of relief from the tyranny and oppression of the Congress rule. On 2
December 1939, Jinnah put out an appeal, calling for Indian Muslims to celebrate 22 December
1939 as a "Day of Deliverance" from Congress I wish the Muslims all over India to observe
Friday 22 December as the "Day of Deliverance" and thanksgiving as a mark of relief that the
Congress regime has at last ceased to function. I hope that the provincial, district and primary
Muslim Leagues all over India will hold public meetings and pass the resolution with such
modification as they may be advised, and after Jumma prayers offer prayers by way of
thanksgiving for being delivered from the unjust Congress regime. I trust that public meetings
will be conducted in an orderly manner and with all due sense of humility, and nothing
should be done which will cause offence to any other community, because it is the High
Command of the Congress that is primarily responsible for the wrongs that have been done
to the Musalmans and other minorities.

Congress reaction on day of deliverance:

The proposed Day of Deliverance was criticized as being divisive. On 9 December 1939, Gandhi
appealed to Jinnah to end the observance in light of pending Congress/Muslim league unity
discussions, and in anticipation of third party review of Muslim League allegations made about
Congress' treatment of Muslims. Nehru exchanged several letters with Jinnah between 9–14
December 1939, offering to deal with specific allegations of anti-Muslim actions, but the
discussions fell through because Nehru refused to disassociate Congress from Indian Muslims
unaffiliated with the Muslim League, and concluded that
I regret to learn this for this means that, apart from communal questions, we differ entirely
on purely political grounds. The Congress demand is essentially for a declaration of war aims
and more especially for a declaration of Indian independence and the right of the Indian
people to frame their own constitutions without external interference. If the Muslim League
does not agree to this, this means that our political objectives are wholly dissimilar.
The celebration was also criticized by prominent senior Muslim members of Congress, including
Abul Kalam Azad, who stated:
And now, when the Congress has given up on the government of eight provinces of its own
choice and free will, what advice has the League President to offer to the Muslims? It is this
that they should march toward the mosques and thank God on their deliverance from
Congress ministries which preferred duty to power and have resigned not only on the issue of
India's freedom but for the rights of all downtrodden peoples of the East. It is difficult to
imagine any group of Muslims, howsoever at loggerheads with the Indian National Congress,
would tolerate to be presented to the world in such colors.

Conclusion:
The Congress didn’t set up ministries for about four months demanding British government to
not interfere in its legislative affairs. Discussions between them took place, and at last, the
British agreed without making any formal amendment to the Government of India Act 1935. As
a result of which, Congress ministries were formed in July 1937 but with bitter policy against
Muslims: Hindi became the national language, Congress flag became the national flag, and
Bande Matram became the national anthem. A strict prohibition was laid on cow slaughter and
singing of Bande Matram, taken from the novel of Chandra Chatterji, was started in schools.
Construction of new mosques was banned and Muslims were harassed while they offered
prayers.Twenty-seven months of Congress rule were characterized by rising political Hinduism,
which seemed to be working only for the welfare of Hindu community and revenging the
previous 700-year Muslim rule over them, as stated by some Congress leaders. Educational
reforms were introduced that were purely anti-Muslim in spirit. The purpose of Warda Taleemi
Scheme was to displace the idea of two nation theory from minds of Muslim children, while
Vidya Mandar Scheme aimed at promoting Hindu culture by making Mandar education
necessary at elementary level. Muslims were also kept back in economic circle. They were
expelled from government offices and career opportunities were closed for them. Their trade
and agriculture was a target of Hindu’s harm, and they couldn’t appeal justice which already
had Hindu imprints upon it. As a result, and to nobody’s surprise but huge dismay, massive
Hindu-Muslim riots took place. Several reports such as “Pirpur Report”, “Muslim Sufferings
under Congress Rule”, and “The Sharif Report” were issued by Muslims leaders to give word
and voice to the injustice and cruelty they were receiving under Congress reign, and they found
expression in newspapers. When World War II started in 1939, the British were fighting against
the Axis Powers. The Viceroy of India announced India’s involvement without consulting its
representative political leaders. Congress asked for transfer of power in repayment of their
cooperation in war, which the British government denied. As a result, Congress ministries
resigned. Thus came to an end the nightmarish rule which had terrorized Muslim community
beyond imagination. Quaid-i-Azam asked the Muslims to observe it as a ‘Day of Deliverance’
with peace and without any harmful intent towards any other nation. Prayers of thanksgiving
and gratitude were offered and Muslims took a sigh of relief from the atrocities committed
against them in the two-year Congress rule.